The Mela Festival, recently held here at the New Art Exchange turned out to be a huge success. Amongst the activities that were held on the 14th July was a Rangoli Workshop, led by artist Ranbir Kaur. If you are unfamiliar with Rangoli, it is a folk art which originates in India. Rangoli patterns are made tradionally during Hindu festivals as a welcoming area for deities. Materials used to create the patterns can include rice, dried beans and even flowers. They are also said to add positivity to the places they are created.
Ranbir Kaur has been making the works of art since she came to this country from India in 1994. Since then she has created designs for Jaguar & BBC Children in Need amongst others and even holds the record for creating the world's largest rangoli pattern. You can see a video of Ranbir creating a giant rangoli pattern here. It was fascinating to watch her create patterns freehand, and visitors to the workshop were excited to get involved and make their own. Visit the NAE website to find out about more upcoming workshops and other events in store.
